How accomplish'd in our Lord,

122, 123

Socinians, Heretics, confuted, 42, &c. 60, &c. 80, &c. 92, 110, 138, &c. 149, 169, &c. 177, 179, 188, &c.

Son of God, in what respects our Lord is so ftiled,

Vid. Generation.

4I

Suffered, in what respects our Lord may be faid to

have fuffered,

T.

80, &c.

He Third Day, meaning of the Phrase, in
Scripture, and in the Creed,

TH

V.

III, &c.

Irgin, the Meffias to be born of a Virgin, 75,

Virgi

&c.

Union of the Divine and Humane Natures in our Lord's Perfon,

Unity, bow afcrib'd to God,

71, &c.

8

-The feveral kinds of it that agree to the Church,

W.

156

He Word, the Divine Title of our Saviour,

TH

44, &c.

World's Duration, how we are to form an Idea of

it,

20

A

A BRIEF

EXPOSITION

OF THE

Apostles Creed.

ARTICLE I.

I believe in GOD, the Father Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and Earth :

A

believe.

LTH O' these things which I am ready to affirm, be not apparent to my Sense, (a) fo that I cannot fay I fee them: Altho' they be not evident to my Understanding of themfelves, (b) nor appear unto me truc by the vertue of any Natural and Necessary Cause (c); fo that I cannot fay I have any proper

B

Knowledge,

I

Knowledge, or Science, of them: Yet, fince they are certainly contain'd in the Scriptures, the Writings of the bleffed Apostles and Prophets; fince thofe Apoftles and Prophets were endu'd with Miraculous Power from above, and immediately inspir'd by the Holy Ghoft, and confequently, what they deliver'd was not the Word of Man, but of GOD himself; fince GOD is of that univerfal Knowledge and infinite Wisdom, that 'tis impoffible he should be deceiv'd, of that indefectible Holinefs, and tranfcendent Rectitude, that it is not imaginable He fhould intend to deceive any Man; and confequently, what He hath delivered for a Truth must be neceffarily and infallibly true; I readily and steadfaftly affent to them (d), as most certain Truths, and am as fully and absolutely, and more concerningly, perfwaded of them, than of any thing I fee, or know. And because that GOD, who hath revealed them, hath done it not for my Benefit alone, but for the Advantage of others, nor for that only, but alfo for the manifestation of his own Glory; fince, for those Ends, He hath commanded me to profess them (e), and hath promis'd an Eternal Reward upon my Profeffion of them; fince every particular Person is to expect the Juftification of himself, and the Salvation of his Soul, upon the condition of his own Faith; as with a certain and full perfua

fion, I affent unto them, fo, with a fix'd and undaunted Refolution, I will profefs them (f); and with this Faith in my Heart, and Confeffion in my Mouth, in respect of the whole Body of the Creed, and of every Article in it, I fincerely, readily, refolvedly, fay, I believe (g).

(a) As that Snow is white, &c.

(b) As that the Whole is greater than the Part, &c.

(c) As the Propofitions in Mathematicks, and the Conclufions in other Sciences.

Befides these three kinds of Affent, arifing from fenfible Perception, Intu tion, and Demonftration, there is a fourth alfo different from Faith, when the Evidence of the thing not appearing by any neceffary connexion with its Caufe, or Effects, but by fome external relation to other Truths, still leaves a poffibility of Falfhood, and therefore creates in the Mind only a probable Conjecture, or Opinion.

(d) Faith, or Belief, in general, is defin'd, an Affent to that which is credible,as credible; i. e. the acknowledging of a thing to be true, not upon the manifestation, but the atteftation, of the Truth. According as the Credibility of the Objects is different, there muft arise a proportionable diftinction of Affent in the Understanding, and, confequently, a different kind of Faith. The Credibility of the Objects varies according to the ftrength of the Teftimony on which it is founded. The ftrength of every Teftimony is measured by the Authority of the Teftifier: And this depends upon two Conditions, or Qualities, his Ability, in knowing that which he delivers, and his Integrity, in delivering that which he knows. Human Faith is an Affent unto fomething, as credible, merely upon the Teftimony of Man. By this Human Faith all things proceed in Common Life; all Letters and Sciences are taught, all Justice executed, all Commerce maintain'd, all Bufinefs tranfacted, all great Atchievements undertaken,

B 2

John v. 9.

Rom. x. 9.

undertaken, all Hopes, Defires, and Inclinations preferv'd.
Yet fince the Knowledge of Men is ever mix'd with Imper-
fection, and the Integrity of Men ever capable of Sufpi-
cion, there can be no univerfal, infallible, ground of Hu-
man Faith. If, therefore, we receive the Witness of Man,
the Witness of God is greater. Divine Faith is an affent un-
to fomething as credible, upon this Witness, or Teftimony,
of GOD. The Teftimony of GOD is given by Re-
velation; which is nothing elfe but the Delivery, or Speech,
of GOD unto his Creatures; and is of two kinds, im-
mediate and mediate. Immediate Revelation is, when
GOD delivereth Himself to Man, without the interven-
tion of Man; either by Himfelf, or by an Angel reprefen-
ting Him, and bearing His Name, which it is not here ne-
ceffary to diftinguith. Mediate Revelation is the convey-
ance of the Counfel of GOD to Man, by Man.
the former way GOD revealed Himfelf to the Patriarchs,
to the Prophets, and to the Apostles: In the latter, to those
who liv'd under the perfonal direction of thefe Teachers,
and to those who enjoy the benefit of their infpir'd Writings.
So that the true nature of the Faith of a Chriftian, as the
Condition of Chrift's Church now stands, and fhall con-
tinue to the end of the World, confifts in this, that it is an
Affent to Truths credible, upon the Teftimony of G O D, deli-
ver'd unto us in the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets.

Pfal.cxvi. 10.

In

(e) Faith is an Habit refiding in the intellectual part of Man, and therefore of it felf invifible; and to believe is a Spiritual Act, and, confequently, known to no Perfon but to him who believeth. Wherefore Chrift, who is the Head of the Church, and the Author of Unity, muft needs be prefum'd to have appointed fome external Expreífion and Communication, by means of which this Unity might be acknowledged and maintain'd. In the Heart Faith is feated; and with the Tongue Confeffion is made; and by these two Salvation is perfected. If thou shalt confefs with thy Mouth the Lord fefus, and shalt believe in thy heart, that GOD bathraifed him from the dead, thou shalt be fav'd t. Ihave believ'd, and therefore have I spoken *.

(f) Befides